KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Four Non-Commissioned Officers from the 403rd Wing attended the 22nd Air Force NCO Summit in Knoxville, Tennessee, June 5-6.
The NCO Summit focused on the ongoing effort to further refine a culture of mission-ready Airmen, and ways to develop NCOs and retain Airmen.
“Technical Sergeants Nakeisha Wilson and Deidre Jones are two amazing Airmen that were deserving of the opportunity,” said Maj. Brittany Olivier, 403rd Logistics Readiness Squadron director of operations. “Additionally, they are the type of leaders that would return and share their experience and new knowledge with their peers. These ladies are remarkable and the type of leader every unit seeks.”
As one of the NCOs who attended the summit, Wilson, a 403rd LRS ground transportation technician, said, “It was a really, really great experience. We got to meet some great people from all walks of life that have done a lot of things in their career.”
Some of the topics discussed during the event included topics dealing with care of Airmen and force development, to include discussions about generational differences within the Air Force, and guidance on narrative writing for enlisted performance briefs.
“Everybody learns and responds differently,” said Wilson. “So, in order to develop our future, we have to change our way of thinking to accommodate the ever-changing and multi-generational Air Force that we're now turning into.”
The summit provided information for new supervisors, reminding NCOs to be responsible for their Airmen, by actively listening to members’ needs and wants, and what they can bring to the table to retain servicemembers.
“As supervisors, if we pay attention to these things and adjust ourselves, we can be better equipped to dealing with their feelings and what they say, and then maybe we can retain those Airmen,” she said.
Other discussions provided step-by-step tidbits to improve narrative writing and tactics to get the new evaluation process underway. Other topics included enlisted force development about how to be a good Airman, making the switch from Airman to supervisor, and how to navigate discipline.
“As a supervisor, you have to make sure you have that balance between disciplining and making sure you are being empathetic and understanding of the member’s situation, and where they're coming from,” said Wilson.
One of the biggest things Wilson said she took away from the experience was from the icebreakers, where they had to get up on the fly and speak about topics, getting to know others, and dealing with difficult conversations.
“You might be nervous about having that conversation, but if you want to see a change, you want to make it better for your Airmen, then you're going to have to lean into that fear,” she said. “It's not as hard as you think it is, and once you do it, you feel 100% better.”